Issac Bailey | Lesson for 2015 from 2014 health scare: Fighting the wrong battle could kill you - or someone you love

I ended 2013 knowing 2014 would be an unusually bumpy ride.

I had been diagnosed on Dec. 4 with a rare auto-immune disorder called CIDP, and it had already begun shutting down some of my nerves and muscles, making it difficult to walk and even lift my arms or fold clothes.

As I expected, that made 2014 turbulent, with a long hospital stay in January, crutches and wheelchairs and potentially fatal blood clots in the following months.

As 2014 winds down, the outlook has been reversed. I’m still being treated monthly for CIDP at Duke University Hospital but got word recently that we can begin the process of paring some of the steroid infusions back because I’ve shown enough sustained progress. If that continues, sometime in 2015, the treatments may no longer be necessary.

I’m looking forward to that day while making sure I don’t under-appreciate the part of the journey already traveled.

During the worst days of 2014, I could not do a single push-up, couldn’t complete a mile in less than 38 minutes and fell as I walked on a sidewalk at Harvard University, blown over by a strong wind gust, unable to catch myself.

By the end of this year, I could do a set of 35 push-ups, finish a mile in 9 minutes and 30 seconds, and my balance returned so much I could resume squats and lunges workouts at the gym.

It’s not where I was before CIDP - 125 push-ups, 7-minute mile - but when you’ve experienced the worst, it would feel foolish to deny the improvement.

In January, I was in a hospital bed not sure I’d leave; in December I ran side-by-side on treadmills with my 13-year-old son, urging him to push through the pain, the only way to get better.

If the signs for 2015 are as clear as they were for 2014, this upcoming year should be a good one.

I’d be remiss, though, if I didn’t share one other lesson from this past year.

CIDP is an auto-immune disorder during which the white blood cells attacked the linings of my nervous system. For reasons medical experts still don’t fully understand, my immune system became convinced my nerve linings were a threat to my well being.

In other words, the disorder that almost killed me was actually an attempt by my body to save me.

The problem, as far as we know, is that my body was trying to save me from something that wasn’t a threat.

It was good that my immune system was ready to fight for me, not so good that it picked the wrong thing to fight.

I still don’t know how to fully process that. Should I hate CIDP because it almost killed me? Or appreciate that I have an immune system ready to automatically defend me?

But I do know the lesson is clear.

In 2015, I should choose my battles wisely — and hope that those who love me do as well.

This story was originally published December 31, 2014 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Issac Bailey | Lesson for 2015 from 2014 health scare: Fighting the wrong battle could kill you - or someone you love."